No. 946                                   Geneva, 18 November 1996


CONCERNING:


Illegal International Trade in Parts and Derivatives of CITES-list
ed Bear Species


1.The  Animals Committee, at its 13th meeting, Pruhonice,
  Czech  Republic, 23-27 September 1996,  in  recognition
  of   the  serious  problem  of  conservation  of  bears
  throughout  the  world caused by the continued  illegal
  trade  in  their  parts  and  derivatives,  adopted   a
  decision on such trade.

2.In  this  context, the Animals Committee  directed  the
  Secretariat to request

             a)    from  all range States of  bears:  all
       available information on the status of their  wild
       bear     populations,    trade     threats     and
       legislative/regulatory  controls  on  killing   of
       bears   and   on   trade  in   their   parts   and
       derivatives; and

             b)    from  all  countries  of  import  (re-
       )export  and  consumption of parts and derivatives
       of  bears,  all information on: their  enforcement
       efforts  to  interdict illegal shipments  of  bear
       parts   and   derivatives;  legislative/regulatory
       controls  on trade in these parts and derivatives;
       prosecutions  relating to illegal  trade  in  bear
       parts   or   derivatives;  the   kinds   of   bear
       derivatives  available on the market;  efforts  to
       promote  the  use  of substitutes  in  traditional
       medicine; and education programmes.

3.This  issue will be included in the Agenda of the  10th
  meeting  of  the  Conference of the Parties  (Zimbabwe,
  June  1997).   Therefore, the information requested  in
  paragraph  2. should be received by the Secretariat  by
  10 January 1997 at the latest.